The relationship among familism, family conflict, and depression in latino college students

The rapid growth of Latinos in the United States and high prevalence of depression among the population have important implications. Research continues to focus on constructs that may play a role in the elevated risk of depression among Latinos. Familism is a central value in Hispanic culture that has been associated with a decrease in depression. Although familism has been associated with preventing depression, other relevant constructs that may act as mediators have not yet been explored. Thus, the current study examined the association between familism—as latent, all three dimensions combined, and its individual components—and depression and the mediating role of family conflict. Participants, n = 336, were undergraduate psychology students from California State University, Fresno. Results obtained via structural equation modeling partially supported the hypotheses. Specifically, results confirmed the association between familism and depression. Furthermore, family conflict partially mediated the relationship between familism and depression when all three dimensions of familism composed a latent variable. Findings show the nuanced association between familism and depression. Furthermore, findings also demonstrate the important role that family conflict plays in association between familism and depression. Results also highlight the need to consider other relevant constructs such as types of conflict that may be more common among Latino families.